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In today’s increasingly globalized and interconnected world in which more people migrate than ever before in human history, young migrants between 15 and 24 have become powerful agents of change and development. By mid-2010, the total number of migrant youth was estimated at 27 million, representing an eighth of the 214 million international migrants in the world today.

Young migrants, either alone or accompanied by family members, leave their homes for different reasons. Some leave in search of jobs, others to flee persecution.

IOM South Africa has welcomed the signing into law of the long-awaited Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill by President Jacob Zuma.

“The signing of this Bill into law is significant. For the first time South Africa will have a single statute which addresses the scourge of trafficking in persons holistically and comprehensively. To date, the legislative framework dealing with this issue has been fragmented,” said the presidency in a statement issued last week.

remember we traveled for about a month in an open truck from Lubumbashi to South Africa”

IOM South Africa celebrates the success of an Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) beneficiary whose long awaited return back to his home in the DRC had been delayed for more than a year because of his medical condition.

The IOM Partnership on Health and Mobility in East and Southern Africa (PHAMESA) programme has released a summary of initial findings of a study on health vulnerabilities of mixed migration flows from East, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes to Southern Africa.

The findings were presented at the 2nd Ministerial Conference on the Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Second Ministerial Conference on Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) under the theme “Enhancing Labour Migration and Migration Management in the SADC Region” was held on Thursday 11 July 2013 at Hotel Polana, in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Conference was hosted by the Republic of Mozambique with support from the SADC Secretariat and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The government of Mozambique, in collaboration with IOM and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat will host a regional Ministerial Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) Conference on 10-11 July, 2013 in Maputo.

The meeting will bring together Interior Ministers and senior officials responsible for home affairs and labour from SADC countries to discuss how SADC member states can comprehensively address labour migration and migration management in the region.

IOM South Africa, in partnership with Wits University Africa Centre for Migration and Society (ACMS), and with support from USAID/ PEPFAR, hosted a national dialogue to discuss progress made in addressing the health and well-being of migrants, mobile populations and communities affected by migration in South Africa.

The dialogue, which was held in Pretoria on the 23rd of April 2013, reviewed the recommendations from a 2010 National Consultation, looking at what has been implemented, what challenges were encountered, and some of the lessons learnt.

IOM South Africa and the Resettlement Support Centre Africa (RSC Africa) based in Nairobi hosted cultural orientations for refugees accepted for settlement to the United States (US) from the 19th of March to the 10th of May in Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban.

The cultural orientations, conducted by RSC Africa trainers from Nairobi are aimed at providing factual information and essential skills to enable refugees to have a positive resettlement experience as well as develop realistic expectations about the US.

IOM South Africa in partnership with the City of Johannesburg and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) launched the ‘I AM A MIGRANT TOO’ poetry book to celebrate International Migrants Day on Friday 14 December 2012 at Uncle Tom Hall in Soweto, South Africa.

This event marked the end of the month long ‘I AM A MIGRANT TOO’ campaign launched at the beginning of November 2012. The campaign was aimed sensitising the South African public that migrants are an integral part of society; in fact, we are all either migrants or we are related to migrants.

Regional partners addressing migration and health challenges in Southern Africa convened in Pretoria, South Africa on the 27th of February.

The meeting sought to agree on the Terms of Reference for the Regional Migration and Health Partnership Forum, review the initial findings of a mapping exercise of regionally responses to migration and health in Southern Africa and discuss priority areas such as cross border referral and the SADC Declaration on TB in the Mining Sector.

International Organization for Migration

About Us

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a dynamic and growing inter-governmental organization, with 151 member states, committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.

Established in 1951 and now active in over 440 field locations worldwide, IOM works with partners, government and civil society to:

Assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration and mobility

Advance understanding of migration issues

Encourage social and economic development through migration; and

Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants and mobile populations